New commissions by some of LA's most respected theater artists, who creatively connect classical texts to contemporary narratives.

Fourlarks, a Los Angeles-based performance troupe, returns to the Getty Villa in January to present their Villa Premiere Presentation, katabasis. Due to disruptions related to the Woolsey fire in Malibu last month, the Getty Villa was closed for two weeks and performances of katabasis were canceled. The Getty Villa has rescheduled the production for January 24, 25, & 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Parking is $10 after 3:00 p.m.

Premiere Presentation: katabasis

katabasis ('descent to the underworld') is a site-specific live music performance work that is part immersive concert and part ritual theater. Staged outside for an intimate audience, katabasis unfurls across the grounds and gardens of the Getty Villa in a walking procession that is structured as a participatory Orphic mystery rite.

A performative companion piece to the Villa exhibition Underworld: Imagining the Afterlife, katabasis features a cult of musical performers who guide a small audience of initiates around the grounds of the museum, where they encounter characters and visual motifs from the exhibition, commune with ancient beliefs, and procure blessings for this life and what lies beyond. Fourlarks' future-folk score is inspired by ancient modes and rhythms, reimagined through a kaleidoscope of world folk and art pop.

Please be advised that this performances is a walking procession throughout the outdoor grounds of the Getty Villa. There is no seating provided and we ask that you wear warm clothing and comfortable shoes.

About fourlarks

Fourlarks is an Ovation Award winning L.A.-based performance company led by composer/director Mat Sweeney and creative producer Sebastian Peters-Lazaro. Their work combines acoustic music, site-based installation, and physical theatre. More info at fourlarks.com

Recently in the Series

Culture Clash presents SAPO featuring Buyepongo
February 2018
In mid-1970s San Francisco, a young Chicano band named SAPO–sporting afros, sweaty vests and bell bottom jeans–sets out to surpass Santana's success by making it big in the music industry with their own smooth acoustic Latin sounds. They meet a shady producer/agent and upholstery guy also named Sapo who promises SAPO-the-band a record if only they come down to L.A. where an industry "god" lives in a yacht off the Malibu coast. It's a slithery world of mischief and deception and slippery hippy lily pads where anything goes, loosely based on Aristophanes' The Frogs.

How to Get Here
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. See Hours, Directions, Parking for directions and parking information.